Consultation-liaison referrals to the north Dublin old age psychiatry service

107 elderly acute hospital in-patients were referred to the North Dublin Old Age Psychiatry Service during an eighteen month period. Cognitive impairment was present in 54%, 25% had functional psychiatric disorders and 19% had no psychiatric diagnosis. The main reason for referral in 47% of cases was advice on placement. This reflects the deficiency in residential care in North Dublin and supports other recently compiled data. The implications of this situation for both elderly people and the acute hospitals are discussed.